'Sincerest form of flattery': Republican gives excuse after photos show him in blackface
Raw StoryPhotos obtained by The New York Times show Rep. Mike Lawler sporting a Michael Jackson costume wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume in 2006. They show him wearing a black shirt and a red jacket, with him striking a signature Jackson dance pose in another, the publication reported Thursday. The report noted that “his face has also been visibly darkened.” Lawler, 38, is locked in a reelection battle against Democrat Mondaire Jones, a Black former congressman, in a suburban swing district, according to the Times. The congressman did not dispute the authenticity of the photos and told the Times in a statement that the costume was intended to be “truly the sincerest form of flattery, a genuine homage to my musical hero since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom’s kitchen.”
History of this topic
MAGA congressman seen in photo wearing blackface as part of Michael Jackson Halloween costume
The Independent
'I do apologize': GOP congressman says blackface photos were to 'pay homage' to pop star
Raw Story
Photos show Rep. Mike Lawler of New York in blackface at college Halloween party in 2006
LA Times
Justin Trudeau apologises for ‘dumb’ brownface photo: ‘I didn’t think it was racist at the time’
The Independent
Blackface scandal spotlights deeply embedded racism in US
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